Dario Leone

1 week ago | theaviationgeekclub.com | Dario Leone

The sun was already rising on Jan. 3, 1944 when Maj. Greg “Pappy” Boyington led a large fighter sweep from Torokina to Rabaul. It was just the composite of planes Boyington preferred: mostly Marine Corsairs (including VMF-214 Black Sheep F4Us) and sixteen Navy Hellcats. Exhaustion forced him to put small pieces of tobacco in the corners of his eyes to keep him alert.

1 week ago | theaviationgeekclub.com | Dario Leone

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has finalised a sale of the four remaining C-130H Hercules aircraft to Coulson Aviation (US) firefighting company. The aircraft will be prepared for flight and flown to Coulson’s Maintenance Base in Thermal, California by a commercial crew over the next few months. Wayne Coulson, president and chief executive of Coulson Group, says they are looking forward to integrating these aircraft into their existing fleet of six C-130H Hercules.

1 week ago | theaviationgeekclub.com | Dario Leone

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 began as an entry by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in a Luftwaffe (German Air Force) fighter competition in the early 1930s. Willy Messerschmitt’s creation incorporated one of the most advanced aerodynamic designs at the time, with retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit, automatic slats, cantilever wings and stressed skin construction. During the trials, the Bf 109 clearly outperformed the larger and heavier favorite, Heinkel’s He 112.

1 week ago | theaviationgeekclub.com | Dario Leone

The first Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) for the Spanish Air and Space Force has entered into service with the 45th Wing. This is the first of three multi-mission tanker and transport aircraft acquired by the Spanish Ministry of Defence in November 2021. The aircraft, which will operate from Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base, Madrid (Spain), has been delivered from the Airbus facilities in Getafe (Madrid), where the A330 MRTT aircraft conversion center is based.

1 week ago | theaviationgeekclub.com | Dario Leone

The U-2 Dragon Lady provides high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance, day or night, in direct support of US and allied forces. It delivers critical imagery and signals intelligence to decision makers throughout all phases of conflict, including peacetime indications and warnings, low-intensity conflict, and large-scale hostilities. Built in complete secrecy by Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, the original U-2A first flew in August 1955.